one of the dumbest things you can do
 

Well, today I did one of the DUMBEST things I have EVER done! Got sick at work on Friday, so got a ride home and left my bike locked in my office. Today, went into my office and picked the bike up with my car. (roofrack, do I need to say more) Still not feeling really great, so I drove back to my apartment, and totally forgot about my bike on the roof of the car. How exactly I forgot about it I am NOT sure. Well, I hit the sensor, wait for the door to go up, and SMACK!!! Felt like someone pounded a sledge into the roof of my car. So, I am sitting there with my bike peeled off the roof of my car and laying on my trunk. People are walking by laughing and pointing. Highlight of my day let me tell you.

Once I finally got my car and bike inside I inspected the damage. Q Towers and clips are toast for the bike rack, and the car, (owww)! My car almost never moves out of the deck, and until today had no scratches or blemishes of any kind. Now, nicely scratched up roof and trunk, and a couple nice dents on the roof.

And my bike, god I was worried. Car was messed up sure, but the bike, now that was just painful to look at. Seat twisted around, gearshifts banged up, aheadset cranked around, bars looked messed up. One of my main concerns was my fork. Got the shock of my life. Once I pulled it apart and bolted everything back in, bike was fine. Other than the gear shifts and tape, not even a scratch! I took it to the bike shop and asked them to look over it as well, (don't really trust myself totally when it comes to my bike). They verified it, my bike took the hit and was fine. So, while it was one of the dumbest things I have ever done, I got VERY lucky!

Anybody else ever done this, or am I the only member of the Moron of the month club?

My brother did the same thing years ago though he must have been creeping into the garage since there wasn't really any damage. Really sorry to hear about this calamity.

There are advantages to trunk racks and hatchbacks!

On a more useful note - I've heard of people attaching a red warning banner to the bottom of the door so that, when flipped open, it hung down in front of you - perhaps it could say something like:

NO BIKES

Sounds like a pretty durable bike. What kind is it?

Maybe in addition to a banner on the door, you could put something on the dashboard - a note or a bike part - as a visual reminder that there is a bike up there.

You should consider this a victory! This is a complicated house-car-bike collision case where you are both the plantiff, the defendant, the co-plantiff and the co-defendant. You, as the bike rider, suffered from the careless driving typical of many cagers today. You, as the car driver, suffered from the careless riding typical of bonsai guerilla rider. You, as a car/bike/driver/rider, suffered from the careless movement of a psychotic dwelling. Yet you were physically unharmed and able to walk away. A miracle considering everything involved.

Usually in these type of cases, the law determines who wins by which ever is on top at the end of hostilities. Since you as the bike rider were on top, therefore...

Wait a sec... house covers car, car smashes bike, and bike cuts house.

There's a simple preventative for this. When you put the bike on the roof rack, toss the remote control in the trunk. You need to get out to remove the bike anyway.

On another thread I saw the suggestion that people with a roof rack in use should keep the garage door opener in a bag on the bike. So to get into the garage they have to take the bike off of the car. Too simple? How about a proximity alarm on the bike? Too near a tree branch or house or bridge the alarm goes off.

If you're like me you need to do something different or you'll do it again. :o

It's a Trek X01 Cyclocross. Love all the suggestions, but when it burns down to it, I should have been bright enough to remember I had a bike on the roof!!!

Don't feel too bad cgchambers. When ever I do something stupid, there are always plenty of people who witness it... and remind me everytime is see them again.

I have a coworker who's husband did this exact same thing. It was a 10 year old lemond road bike he was very fond of. The car is fine but the bike's frame was completely bent. :(

I am greatly encouraged to find there is still something really really stupid you can do that I haven't already done!

Now I've gotta buy a car and a bicycle rack though.

Well, today I did one of the DUMBEST things I have EVER done! Got sick at work on Friday, so got a ride home and left my bike locked in my office. Today, went into my office and picked the bike up with my car. (roofrack, do I need to say more) Still not feeling really great, so I drove back to my apartment, and totally forgot about my bike on the roof of the car. How exactly I forgot about it I am NOT sure. Well, I hit the sensor, wait for the door to go up, and SMACK!!! Felt like someone pounded a sledge into the roof of my car.

I am sorry but I cannot read past that part due to the hysterical laughter racking my body and the tears preventing me from seeing clearly to read the rest.

It's getting difficult to breath.

The mechanic at my FBS told me of about some woman who had crashed during the beginning of a big organised ride. She bruised herself pretty bad and the medics gave her some pain killers or something. She was transported back to the start area where she had driven to. After putting her bike onto her roof-rack, she drove home and slightly dazed and cloudy from the painkillers, promptly smacked her bike into her garage. Her beautiful scandium Merckx frame was toast.

If she was cloudly from the painkillers, she shouldn't have been on the road in the first place. She sounds like she's rich, I bet she just went out and bought a Dura Ace equipped Look bike afterwards.

You'll get no argument from me there.


I'm not sure you can make that call. She could have had to scrape and save for that bike. It might well have been a great loss for her. In the grand scheme of things, you don't have to be rich to own even the most expensive of bikes. It all depends on how you live your life and how you budget.

Sounds like you need a new bike rack anyway... I'd give serious consideration to a trunk rack. Plus they don't hurt your mileage as much, and they're easier to get the bike on/off.

Well, with a roof rack at least I only have to worry about myself doing something stupid. More reliable locking the bike up on the roof as well. (at least in my opinion) A couple of years back my girlfriend (now wife) had bought me a great Madone for my birthday. Less than 2 weeks later got rear ended, and needless to say bike was destroyed to say the least. Their insurance did cover the bike, but we only got about 1/3 of the value.

true cyclist! rack and car are messed. oh well...but MY BIKE...my poor bike.

After using a trunk rack for years and recently upgrading to a roof rack, I don't understand how I went so long without one. Trunk racks are a big pain in the butt. A hitch mount may not be as bad, but I can't deal with straps coming loose, bikes banging around, and not being able to open my trunk.

:eek:

I did it back in November.
It was after a LONG trip home with the bike on the roof.

The nose of the seat hit the entrance of the garage.
This effectively stopped my car.

However, it wrecked the seat, and bent the seatpost back, stretched the forks out with more rake, and cracked the paint at the top tube/headtube lug.

Oh... and it bent the trough on the roof rack.

Note to remote hiding roof rackers...that doesn't work either if you pull into the drive and find your garage door already up. My riding buddy can attest.

My bike travels with me inside the wrangler .... only the two of us most of the time

When I use my hitch rack, it swings out of the way when I need too.

I would never ever ever have a roof rack .... no no no no no.

I would much rather drive a - ugh! - minivan where the bikes can be stored for safe transportation.

Same with going to the drive-through window to buy a large coke.

Seems every rider has driven their car into the garage/drive-through window or personally knows someone who's done this. I know several who've done this. If it wasn't for the fact that I drive a truck, I'd probably be on the list of those who did it, too.